Collectanea. 333
17. There dwelt once, at the farm of Vollan, an ancient shepherd, who boasted that he was not afraid of spectres, and did not believe in underground folk. But he got to leam otherwise, for one day, when he began to dig out a fir-tree root up on the hill, he suddenly saw a blue man quite close to him. The man had on big gloves, and they were fastened to a blue band -^ which went round his neck, and he was blue all over from top to toe. He said nought and then quickly vanished, — but the man had proof enough now that the underground folk existed, and he came down the path from the hill in the greatest fright.
18. There was once a youth who late in autumn was sent up to Grasdalen to fetch home a mare that had been left behind when the folk had returned to the farms from the sæter with their animals. When he got to the hut he lay himself down on the bed to rest awhile. Whilst he lay there a girl, very like unto his loved one down in the valley, came into the room. "Nay, wherefore in all the world camest thou hither?" asked the youth. "Ah, never before have I been here, but when I heard tell that thou hadst come up, I also wished to come hither, for what better chance could hap than this for me to be with thee?" said the maiden. Yea, now did the youth begin to believe that she was in truth his own beloved, for so like unto her was she. She now began to cook some Römmegröd 19 for him, and, when she was ready, she bade him to the board. But then he saw that she had a long horse tail beneath her skirt, and he knew straightway that something evil was afoot. He therefore bade her begone at once, whereupon she neighed like a horse, and, sweeping the long horse-tail behind her, she fled from the hut like lightning.
19. On Yule Eve it was the custom to set steel over the barn doors, to prevent anything utrygt ("uncanny," i.e. the underground folk) from abiding in the barn at night. Moreover, the farm-girl had to take care that she fed all the cows, for misfortune might come if it so happened that she forgot any. Once a farm-girl, who overlooked a cow, had to smart sorely for itj thinking that she had given food to all, she seated herself upon the gate, so as
29 Norwegians, especially the children, have a string tied round their necks, to each end of which a glove is fastened, and thus, whether their hands are in the gloves or not, the latter cannot be lost.
